the night i caught a train with john safran

That's Safran, not Saffron.
Tonight I went down to a suburb south of the river and had dinner with a dear friend I haven't seen in five years and have barely spoken to in the last two.
Catching up with her was really good. It's interesting how much people change and how much their fortunes can change as well.
Makes one appreciate the contingency of one's existence, hmmm yes.
Then, as I was waiting at the train station to return home, I found myself sitting next to John (we're on a first name basis now that I've sat next to him) whilst talking to my mother about my father's decision to not have a more or less (possibly more less than more) life saving operation that could render his heart functional again, Heaven forbid, and about Mum's ever-encroaching gloom of depression.
Great.
On the flipside, I got my provisional car driver's licence today.
Great.